Hi Don,

I think sometimes when we personalize events it hits home far better than generalizatios. I like to tell the following true story because for me it does personalize the earthquake experience.

Back in 1999 after I had taken the volcanic tour at Mammoth with Charles Watson and my girlfriend who lived at Mammoth at the time I opened my browser and saw this huge red square over Mammoth. The list showed it to be a magnitude 15. I was so upset and called Watson to ask him what had happened and what was left. He said Mammoth was destroyed and I began to cry thinking my dear friend and her family were probably lost. Then he started to laugh and said it was an equipment failure and there's no such thing as a 15 magnitude earthquake.

I know for a fact if there was a major earthquake near Long Beach I would be waiting to hear from Canie or someone who knows her to tell me she was ok and I'm sure the rest of you would feel the same. But I would feel that if anyone would know what to do, she would and that would make me feel better.

It would also make me feel better if I knew millions would know what to do and then there would be far fewer people who would succumb to this no doubt certain event someplace in CA. We are not always going to be so fortunate to have earthquakes in the desert and less populated locations and the numbers of people like Canie are very small.

We cannot rebuilt fast enough to meet the deadline for our future, but we can spread safety information like wildfire if only one thing happened. That would be for someone who thinks its important and has the right connections to bring it to fruition. I hope it happens soon.

Petra

• The Seismic Safety Zone